Wait Until Dark

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – In the dark of night, face covered by a paint respirator, Lance Whitner uses black spray paint to outline her new mural on the back of the Pine Moon Fine Art building.

Whitner projects an image of her painting across the alley and onto the back of the building. She must wait until dark before she can begin outlining, in order to see the projected image most vividly.

Whitner was awarded a $2,300 grant for the development of the mural in December 2017.

She originally created an eight-foot painting, for the mural, but upon completion, she changed her mind and made another one. “It’s been a huge learning process for me,” Whitner says. “As an artist, it’s important to put yourself in uncomfortable places. When you sit in the fire, you transform. I want my art to keep growing, and we don’t grow if we don’t try something new and different.”

Growth is the motivating force behind Whitner’s journey through the development of this mural. “I’m excited to start doing what we’ve been planning for so long,” she says. The main event begins with a donation-based yoga class on Saturday, September 11 at 10 a.m. All donations received will go to the Trail Alliance. Whitner’s mural is based off her painting “The Forest Adventurous.” “The Trail Alliance is how we begin our forest adventures,” Whitner remarks.

Following yoga, she welcomes everyone to join in a community paint by numbers. “In the history of murals, community involvement is a huge aspect. I want to give something beautiful to my community,” she says. “And I want my community to be able to be involved. The murals are public and part of our community. To be able to say ‘I helped create this beautiful thing,’ is an opportunity to leave a lasting mark in Steamboat, even if it’s for five minutes.”

Community members will help with the first and second layers of paint, and Whitner will then go back through and make her final touches, which will further transform the mural. “I’m not going to be looking at the painting it’s based on any longer. I’m going to be looking at the mural and adding from there,” Whitner says. She will finish with a couple layers of varnish, to protect her work.

This is Whitner’s first mural, and she has scheduled out 10 days to complete the piece.